PARLIAMENT PASSES UN CONVENTION AGAINST

UNCLAS KABUL 002735 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR SHIVERS CG CJTF-82, POLAD, JICCENT RELEASABLE TO NATO/ISAF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KCOR EAID AF SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT PASSES UN CONVENTION AGAINST CORRUPTION, AWAITING ANTI-CORRUPTION PLAN ¶1. (SBU) The lower house of the Afghan National Assembly (Wolesi Jirga) passed the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) on August 15. Its passage by the upper house and ratification will complete an Afghanistan Compact benchmark. ¶2. (SBU) The Government of Afghanistan signed the UNCAC on February 20, 2004, and the Afghanistan Compact called for its ratification by end-2006. The delay has been blamed on poor translation and concern that it might contradict existing Afghan laws and thus make necessary wholesale revision of laws on the books. After rejecting two Dari translations of the UNCAC submitted by the Ministry of Justice legislative department, the Wolesi Jirga accepted a third version provided by the U.S.-funded Justice Sector Support Program. The Afghanistan Compact requires that the government make national legislation compliant with the UNCAC by end-2007 and to establish a monitoring mechanism to oversee implementation by end-2008. The Ministry of Justice, with support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),is responsible for reviewing existing legislation to ensure compatibility with the UNCAC. Substantive changes in existing legislation will be required. ¶3. (SBU) Ratification of the UNCAC will substantially alter aspects of anti-corruption law enforcement in Afghanistan. For instance, it allows for extradition for corruption offenses between countries party to the UNCAC that lack extradition treaties, and endorses the use of undercover operations and electronic intercepts in corruption investigations. ¶4. (SBU) Apart from the UNCAC, the other major component of Afghanistan's anti-corruption effort is the development of a government-wide anti-corruption strategy. After missing several self-imposed deadlines, Supreme Court Chief Justice Azimi's commission has told UNAMA that its report will be ready before the next JCMB meeting in late September. WOOD